Cloudstep's Journey
by LostUmbreon
Summary: He's been raised StoneClan his whole life, but Cloudstep feels like he doesn't belong. Cloudstep sets off on a journey to uncover the truth of his origins while trying to mend the relationship between he and his brother. Some things are easier said than done when rival clans threaten to destroy everything as he knows it. - Purely OC related, rated for violence
1. Chapter 1

A swirling blizzard howled around a group of cats, clustered in a deep crevice in rocks. The group consisted of five older cats and four mewling kits. A dark grey tabby tom with black stripes was curled around three small wriggling kits. A brown and white patched she-cat was nursing another kit not much further off, her tail over the skinny kit's back. A dark brown, almost black, tom was clawing at a dead leaf in the corner of the crevice, upset with something.

At the front of the crevice sat a light brown tabby she-cat, her yellow eyes fixated on something unseen in blizzard, scanning for anything. "Halfstar," a dark brown she-cat with black stripes trotted over, "I don't think the patrol is coming back. Adderstar and Owlflight have been out there with their patrol for ages. StoneClan is far stronger than us every leaf-bare and I fear this is the last time our clan will be together…"

The light brown tabby whipped her head around, "Pineshade… You've been my medicine cat for so long… and Brightpath," she turned her head to gaze at the nursing she-cat, "Was the best deputy I could ever ask for. I'm sorry I've only brought chaos and destruction to CreekClan…"

"Oh, no, Halfstar, you haven't brought destruction to our clan at all!" The brown and white she-cat gave a hushed protest, "Our ancestors have been fighting tooth and claw for as long as anybody can remember to keep CreekClan strong. It would only be a matter of time before this clan could no longer thrive. CreekClan has always been small from the beginning."

"But the kits…and Darkpaw," Halfstar gazed around at her small clan.

Brightpath gave a soft mew, "Perhaps Adderstar will show mercy when he finds us."

"That's wishful thinking," the grey tabby tom snarled, "CreekClan is dead. The bitterness of killing she-cats between the clans has always stood. Darkpaw lost both his sisters when CloudClan attacked us in leaf-fall. We'll all be lucky if any of us make it out alive. I'm sure StoneClan and SunClan will be glad to have more territory."

"Don't talk like that, Ravenstripe," Pineshade gasped, "It will be a bad influence on the kits!"

"The kits," Ravenstripe snarled, "Are nothing more than tiny scraps of fur at this point."

Halfstar stood up to face the tom, fur bristling, "Our sons will survive even if we don't. I will make sure of it."

"Pay him no mind, Halfstar. Your mate has simply been cooped up for too long. The hunger has made us all snappy." Brightpath touched her tail tip to Halfstar's shoulder. "But then again, your mate has always seemed like he sits on thistles."

Ravenstripe kept his scowl, though his blue eyes shone with a bit of humor. Halfstar gave a soft purr before trotting over to him and giving him a soft nuzzle before the two switched places and Halfstar was curled around her kits. Ravenstripe seemed glad to get up and stretch his legs but couldn't help but notice the apprentice sitting in the corner, the leaf shredded by now. The apprentice's father had died in battle when he was still a kit and his mother died of something Pineshade refused to share with the clan. Darkpaw had lost his sisters a few moons ago when CloudClan attacked and he had a reason to believe he would never see his mentor again.

Ravenstripe had his attention brought back to his kits when one of them let out a squeal. The loud kit was white with a very fluffy black mane and tail; Cloudkit. To his right was a kit that almost looked exactly like him, only with a fluffy brown mane and tail and was quite the opposite of Cloudkit. This kit was very quiet from birth and had yet to say a single word. For that reason he had been named Silentkit. The third kit on Cloudkit's other side was a grey tabby tom, who was the oldest of the three but the smallest. Rainkit had opened his eyes earlier than most kits and was tottering around quite early too. He had bumbled over to the other kit in the nursery, which was older than him by four moons. Amberkit was Brightpath's; a lively brown tabby tom with bright, shining eyes.

Whenever Cloudkit and Silentkit played together and left Rainkit out, Amberkit was the one to comfort the younger, telling him stories and making up games. The warriors could almost safely assume Rainkit felt happier around Amberkit. But now the grey tabby kitten was shivering, his mother's tail was not long enough to wrap around him. He was envious of his brothers' thicker coats and often nestled between the two just to keep the cold from freezing him.

"There's not enough milk!" Cloudkit mewled unhappily, even though he fed more than both of his littermates. Silentkit just looked at his mother with a sad, starved look and Rainkit was curled up in a shivering ball. Halfstar sighed and pulled Cloudkit and Silentkit closer to her. She hated to admit it, but she quietly discussed with Ravenstripe that if they had to lose a kit, it would be Rainkit. The little tom was scrawny and had a thin frame unlike his brothers. He wasn't quite a runt, but he wasn't quite average for a kit of one moon. But where Rainkit lacked in size, he was intelligent for his age and could tell he was unwanted by his parents. Silentkit played with him from time to time but otherwise his littermates stayed away.

Amberkit had picked up on the neglect several moonrises ago and from his spot curled up by his mother he could see neither of his parents were making an attempt to keep him warm from the cold claws of leaf-bare. Amberkit had a rather short pelt as well but got up and padded over to the small kit and lay next to him, desperately trying to warm Rainkit. Rainkit opened his eyes at the feeling of fur brushing his own; upon realizing it was Amberkit, he pressed his trembling form against the older kit for warmth. After a short while the two kits fell asleep, pressed against each other.

"They look like mates resting together," Darkpaw sniffed from his corner, glaring at the two.

Brightpath hissed at the apprentice, "It is much too early for that nonsense! They're only kits!" Darkpaw snarled something under his breath and went back to clawing at the already shredded leaf. Ravenstripe muttered something too but no cat paid attention. Eventually the cats began to settle down for the long, freezing night ahead; Pineshade trotting over to curl around Amberkit and Rainkit. Halfstar, Cloudkit, and Silentkit were joined by Ravenstripe while Darkpaw reluctantly came to lie beside Brightpath. Brightpath had been his mother's sister, and it struck something in the apprentice when he realized he could scent his mother deep in Brightpath's fur. Darkpaw was calmed greatly by this and fell quickly into an easy sleep.

But what seemed like a few moments after every cat had fallen asleep; they were all struggling back to their paws. Pineshade had shoved all four kits into the furthest corner of the makeshift den and was standing in front of them protectively, viciously attacking a ginger and white tom. The tom hissed and slashed at the medicine cat's face. The young warrior didn't have time to gloat, however, as he was bowled over by Ravenstripe. Pineshade watched as Ravenstripe disappeared behind a mass of fighting cats. An impressive white tom leaped onto Ravenstripe, pinning him down and Pineshade was sure she heard a screech from her clanmate before he was silenced forever.

Halfstar let out a grief stricken wail as she flung off a long furred light grey tom and pounced onto the white warrior that killed Ravenstripe. "Get out of here, Winterstorm!" She slashed the white tom across his eye. Winterstorm let out a furious hiss of agony but bolted from the den, half blind. Halfstar hissed furiously before leaping onto a grey and white tom.

Pineshade pressed the kits further back behind her as she scanned the clearing. Brightpath was flailing uselessly under a massive dark brown tabby – Adderstar, StoneClan's leader. Pineshade turned away as the ambitious leader bore his fangs into the CreekClan deputy's throat. When she dared look again, Brightpath was limp and Adderstar was glaring at Pineshade. The tabby she-cat fluffed out her fur but turned to face the kits, "If any cat tears us away from you, do _not_ watch what happens. Promise me!" The four kits gave terrified little nods and turned their backs to the battle, huddling together.

At that moment, Pineshade let out a wail as several cats attacked her, leaving the kits defenseless. And after a final wail, the rock shelter grew silent. Cloudkit was the first to turn and look. Darkpaw was dangling from a short furred black and white tom's jaws; still alive but extremely weak. "What do we do with the kits, Adderstar?" The long furred grey tom stepped up beside the dark tabby.

"They belong to StoneClan now." He turned to face his victorious patrol, "Take the kits and the apprentice. We're finished here. Tonight we feast in your honor!" Yowls of joy filled the rock shelter as most of the cats filed out into the blizzard, back to their territory. Cloudkit mewled when tom that looked like a fox snatched him by his scruff roughly, calling out to his brothers. Silentkit jumped from his spot in the corner to bounce after his littermate, only to be picked up gently by a long furred silver tom. Rainkit and Amberkit crept out slowly; Amberkit being grabbed by the scruff by a brown and white tabby she-cat, Rainkit being scooped up by Adderstar. He whimpered and tried not to look at the bodies of his dead clanmates as he was carried into the blizzard.

* * *

**AN:/** Fwaahhhh I know I should be writing 'Beyond Golden Hills' but I've recently gotten back into the Warriors series DX Forgive me ;A;

Crossover time! :D

Halfstar - Native America  
Adderstar - Ancient Rome  
Owlflight - Germania  
Pineshade - Native Canada  
Brightpath - Aztec Empire/Native Mexico  
Darkpaw - Cuba  
Ravenstripe - Random OC  
Cloudkit - United States  
Silentkit - Canada  
Rainkit - Confederate States  
Amberkit - Mexico  
Winterstorm - Prussia


	2. Chapter 2

"I got you!" Cloudkit pounced on Rainkit. The previously sleeping kit wailed as he was disturbed and flipped onto his back by his younger brother.

"Get off me you fat fur ball!" Rainkit struggled to push the heavier kit off.

Cloudkit rolled off and onto the stone underpaw, "I'm not fat, you're just skinny and wimpy!"

"No I'm not…" Rainkit muttered.

"How are you supposed to be a good warrior if you don't even play moss ball with me and Silentkit?" Cloudkit asked with a pout. His frown turned into a sneer, "But then again you're always hanging around the medicine cat den with Icewhisker."

"I am not," Rainkit protested and swung a paw at his brother's head.

Cloudkit easily avoided it and sprang forward, pinning Rainkit under him, "I can see it now! On the battle field you'll be the most threatening thing there is! Look out rival clans, my brother will smack you with a beech leaf!"

"Stop it!" Rainkit hissed and wriggled out from under the black and white kit. Cloudkit continued his taunts and protests until a white tom with a ginger tail and ginger patch over his left eye padded over.

"That's enough, Cloudkit," the warrior warned. His voice softened, "Get up now, Rainkit, its fine now."

"I didn't need your help, Robinwing," Rainkit huffed as he stood and shook out his fur. "I'm going to go see Icewhisker now," the grey tabby hissed and stalked off towards the medicine cat den, limping.

"What's the matter with him?" Owlflight asked, joining Robinwing and Cloudkit.

"The poor kit complains of pain in his backside but there's nothing there. He hasn't sat on a thorn and his fur is perfectly fine," Robinwing dipped his head to the deputy.

"He sure acts like it…" Cloudkit grumbled under his breath.

Owlflight watched the kit hobble into Icewhisker's den, "Perhaps he still isn't used to hard stone underpaw."

"Perhaps…" Robinwing nodded, not fully agreed, "He's been grumpy ever since he turned four moons old."

"It could be the separation from Amberpaw. Rainkit is closer to Amberpaw than his own littermates," the long furred grey tom acknowledged. The deputy leaned in and whispered something Cloudkit didn't catch; the ginger and white tom seemed pleased with the thought and gave a dip of his head. "I'll speak with Adderstar." The deputy turned tail and trotted off towards a sloping hole in the ground, which was a tunnel leading to the leader's den. After calling out softly into the cave, Owlflight slipped into the dark tunnel.

Cloudkit sighed and clawed at the ground. He gazed across the nearly empty camp to see Darkpaw playing with Silentkit. It made the black and white kit a bit saddened to know both his brother had older friends and he only had them. Getting up and fluffing out his tail, Cloudkit trotted over to where the elders were sunning themselves on warm rocks. It was new leaf after all, and quite the warm day. A golden furred she-cat, Goldenfire, was chatting with the other elder by the name of Hollyberry, a black she-cat with bright green eyes and a rather pink nose. By now most of the cats that had been out were returning just before sunhigh.

"Good morning, Cloudkit," Hollyberry called out to him cheerfully.

He dipped his head, "Good morning Hollyberry; good morning to you too Goldenfire."

"Nice to know how respectful you young cats are," Goldenfire muttered, "We'll see how long that lasts."

"Don't be so sharp," Hollyberry prodded the other elder with a paw.

Goldenfire sniffed, "Says the one who got her name by running into a holly bush and trying to eat the berries on it."

Hollyberry purred and leaned down to whisper to Cloudkit, "Don't mind her. She's not usually so ill-tempered."

"Who are you calling ill-tempered?" Goldenfire gave a halfhearted snarl.

"Her hiss is worse than her bite," Hollyberry gave Cloudkit's head a lick.

The golden she-cat rolled onto her side to glare at Hollyberry, "Are you so sure? I was quite a threat when I was younger, and I'm sure I could still snap a few bones in my old age if I wanted to. Besides, I saved Sharpkit from that porcupine not too long ago. That kit thinks he's all that; he's so reckless and he can't pull his own weight when things go sour."

"He's only two moons old, I'm sure he'll even out by the time he has a mentor," Hollyberry mewed gently.

"Speaking of mentors," Goldenfire stretched out on her rock, "Isn't it time Cloudkit and his littermates get theirs?"

As if Goldenfire had spoken the future, Adderstar was climbing up to the highest point within StoneClan camp. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me by the Great Boulder for a clan meeting!" Cloudkit bounded away from the elders with a quick goodbye to join Silentkit and Darkpaw. Rainkit and Icewhisker appeared from the medicine cat den and the other clan members crowded at the base of the Great Boulder, looking up at their leader; Owlflight perched on a rock higher than the rest of the clan but lower than Adderstar.

"As you are all aware of, StoneClan is rather low on apprentices," Adderstar began, piercing gaze sweeping across the assembled cats, "Larkfeather and Rabbitleap have been warriors for several long moons now and should be treated as full warriors now, not stuck on apprentice duties all the time. And so it with great honor I present new apprentices to StoneClan." Excited whispers came from the clan below and they fell silent as the leader raised his tail.

The dark tabby's eyes continued to scan the group until he found the kits he was looking for, "Cloudkit, Silentkit, and Rainkit." The three kits came forward, Silentkit and Rainkit more composed than Cloudkit, who stumbled and tripped over his own paws in excitement. "You've all reached six moons of age and are ready to become apprentices. From now until you earn your warrior names, you shall be known as Cloudpaw, Silentpaw, and Rainpaw. Silverheart, you have mentored several cats before and they all turned out to be brave warriors. I trust that you can raise Silentpaw just as well. Please pass on your attentiveness and skills to this apprentice."

A long, silky furred silver tom with soft blue eyes stepped forward to greet the white cat with a fluffy brown mane and tail, "Hello, Silentpaw. I'm sure we'll be a good team together!" Silentpaw seemed thrilled with the idea of Silverheart as his mentor and eagerly padded over; though he had to stretch his neck a bit to reach his new mentor's nose. The pair went to go sit in the front at the crowd's edge.

"Cloudpaw, your mentor will be Robinwing. Robinwing, you are old enough and experienced enough now to have your first apprentice. Teach him well and help him to learn patience and control." Adderstar looked pointedly at the white tom with ginger patches.

Almost reluctantly, the warrior padded forward to touch noses with the obnoxious apprentice. Softly, Robinwing grumbled, "Please try not to be a nuisance…" Cloudpaw broke into a grin and bounced cheerfully alongside Robinwing to sit beside Silentpaw and his mentor.

Now Rainpaw stood alone in front of Adderstar with the whole clan staring at him. He felt his pelt burning in embarrassment, not really enjoying the attention. "Mountainblaze, you will be Rainpaw's mentor," Adderstar stated after glancing briefly around the clearing. A pale brown tabby tom with glistening green eyes stepped forwards and Rainpaw did his best not to shrink into his pelt. _The worst possible thing!_ Rainpaw wailed in his head but managed to put one paw in front of the other up to Mountainblaze. "Mountainblaze, you are a brave and ambitious warrior. Pass on your courage and intelligence to this apprentice."

The tabby warrior bent his head down for Rainpaw to easily touch their noses together. "I'm positive we'll have plenty of fun together," Mountainblaze purred. Rainpaw didn't reply but scampered off quickly to sit with his brothers. The warrior shrugged it off and went to join him.

"Cloudpaw! Silentpaw! Rainpaw!" The clan shouted the new names to the skies above. After the ceremony, the clan dispersed and most went to share tongues or grab a bite to eat.

"What's first?" Cloudpaw asked, hopping eagerly to his paws and gazing up at Robinwing expectantly.

"First," the ginger and white warrior stated, "We are going to help Icewhisker gather herbs." The sharp glare he gave Cloudpaw silenced any protests about to come out. Cloudpaw just gave a small sigh and trailed after Robinwing to the medicine cat den, "One day you'll realize how important Icewhisker and his herbs are to the clan."

"Come, Silentpaw, I will help you look for moss for you and your brothers' nests," Silverheart beckoned to the always quiet cat with his tail. Silentpaw bounded after him, and although he said nothing, excitement gleamed in his eyes.

"W-what about us?" Rainpaw asked almost timidly, looking up at Mountainblaze.

The pale tabby gave a soft purr, "Stop being so nervous, Rainpaw. We're going out to explore the territory. Come along!" Mountainblaze trotted out of the camp, leaving Rainpaw to follow reluctantly.

"Lucky him, I would've loved to explore the territory," Cloudpaw muttered to himself.

"I don't think I've ever seen an apprentice so unwilling to see what's beyond camp." A snowy white tom with ruby eyes and a scar over one eye muttered. Cloudpaw stopped to turn his head and listen to the warriors' conversation.

"Winterstorm is right," a black tom with purple eyes replied, "For once." He was mostly black furred, but he had white paws, a white face and chest and white tail tip.

"The awesome me is always right, Birdsong!" Winterstorm declared. "Are you going to finish that?" He added on, eying the half eaten mouse at the black and white tom's paws. Birdsong rolled his eyes and pushed the mouse to him.

A brown and white she-cat with a striped tail sat down with the two toms, "Did you see the way Rainpaw was acting….scared of Mountainblaze?"

"Oh calm down Sparrowstripe," Birdsong sighed, "I'm sure he's not scared of Mountainblaze. Perhaps he was just extremely nervous… But knowing that tom and his strange….ways of life…"

"Mountainblaze and I were as close as Amberpaw and Rainpaw. Mountainblaze would never do anything like that to a cat so young," Winterstorm growled around a mouthful of mouse.

"I wouldn't put it past him!" a brown tabby tom with golden eyes snarled as he walked by, tail and head struck high in the air.

"Go fall off a cliff, Larkfeather. You're just jealous Mountainblaze wasn't your mentor," Winterstorm smirked.

Larkfeather whipped around, fur bristling, anger sharp in his voice, "Mountainblaze is not the oblivious fool he pretends to be! He is a foxheart and not worth trusting! Sly as a snake and he skulks the shadows at night like no cat can see him! I've witnessed him sneaking out of the warrior's den several nights. And he always returns smelling like the flowers that grow near the SunClan border. But oddly enough…so did Rainpaw when he was still a kit."

"That is suspicious," Birdsong admitted. "But until we learn me, we cannot accuse our clanmate of anything. Even if it seems he is taking Rainpaw places or even possibly meeting a cat from SunClan…"

"That's why Rainpaw didn't want to go see the territory! He's obviously seen it before a long time ago with Mountainblaze! Done! Case closed!" Winterstorm declared, "Now come on, I want to go on a hunting patrol."

"I still worry for Rainpaw's safety around that tom. Mountainblaze is untrustworthy," Larkfeather snapped, still bristling. The tabby turned and noticed Cloudpaw, "Hey you! Hurry up and get along with helping Icewhisker!" Cloudpaw squeaked and turned tail, vanishing in the medicine cat den to join Robinwing and Icewhisker.

For the rest of the day, Cloudpaw felt a horrible feeling in his stomach. What was Larkfeather talking about? Surely Mountainblaze would be a great mentor for Rainpaw, right? His worry increased as the sun began to sink behind the distant mountain peaks and Rainpaw didn't return. Was StoneClan territory really so big that it took from sunhigh to nightfall to explore? Sighing, Cloudpaw ducked back into the apprentice's den and settled down in the soft nest Silentpaw and Silverheart had built. Despite the warm days, nights were always freezing in StoneClan, even in the middle of green leaf. Cloudpaw looked around the den and noticed Amberpaw was missing too. Perhaps there was a smaller camp elsewhere in the territory… Oh how Cloudpaw wished that to be the case. Even if Rainpaw was annoying and stuck up at times, Cloudpaw still missed him. And all through the night, even in his sleep, an uneasy feeling gnawed at Cloudpaw's stomach.

* * *

**AN:/** Merrrpppp chapter 2 because I had no homework for once. To the guest who asked what the potential crossover could be; it could be a Hetalia: Axis Powers and Warriors crossover. Nekotalia is an Alternate Universe of Hetalia where everyone is a cat. The potential crossover comes in by me using their cat designs and personalities, just giving them warrior names and throwing in my own warrior OC's. Unless one seriously knows their Nekotalia, it'll be kind of hard to figure out which nation is which based off descriptions alone :P

So I go back and edit every chapter in which new names pop up or they get a rank change and add what country they are :P

Robinwing - England  
Amberkit/Amberpaw - Mexico  
Hollyberry - Ancient Greece  
Goldenfire - Britannia  
Sharpkit - Sealand  
Larkfeather - South Italy/Romano  
Rabbitleap - North Italy  
Cloudkit/Cloudpaw - United States  
Silentkit/Silentpaw - Canada  
Rainkit/Rainpaw - Confederate States  
Silverheart - France  
Mountainblaze - Spain  
Birdsong - Austria  
Sparrowstripe - Hungary  
Icewhisker - Scandinavia


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Cloudpaw awoke alone in the apprentice den. Silentpaw and Darkpaw had already gone for the day. Sighing, Cloudpaw noticed Amberpaw and Rainpaw's nests were still untouched. He hauled himself to his paws and plodded out of the den. "It's raining…fan_tastic_," Cloudpaw scowled and stepped out into the miserable weather. For once Cloudpaw found himself envying his brother's much shorter fur; it was easier to dry out… Giving another sigh, he padded over to the fresh kill pile and picked up a skinny mouse. He wasn't very hungry and picked at it, eating only a tiny bit.

"Cloudpaw, hurry up and finish eating then meet me at the training cave!" Robinwing called across the clearing before ducking back into the warriors den. Cloudpaw huffed at his mentor; the only cat in the clan who had folded ears. Cloudpaw tossed the mouse to Winterstorm and headed out of camp, following the scent trail of many other cats until he found a hollowed out cave in the side of the cliff. Eager to get out of the rain and under the shelter of the rock Cloudpaw bounded under it. He waited for a long time until finally Robinwing showed up. Silverheart and Silentpaw following after him; Robinwing was bristling and Silverheart was looking quite proud, his chest fluffed out. Silverheart was a senior warrior and his fur was just as long as Cloudpaw's. _If he can learn to live with it then so can I!_ Cloudpaw thought and puffed out his chest.

"Okay, today we're going to-" Robinwing was cut off by a yowling from the distance, coming closer and closer. The four cats in the cave peered out into the rain as the wail stopped but pawsteps grew louder. Leaves on top of the muddy slope parted and Amberpaw burst through, tumbling down the side of the slope, fur becoming clotted with mud and leaves. He hit the stone floor with a sickening thud and moaned in pain. Cloudpaw was amazed when the older apprentice still managed to stagger to his paws. Amberpaw heaved himself forward, beginning to run to camp again but was stopped by Silverheart blocking his path.

"What is the matter with you, Amberpaw? Where have you been all night?" The silver warrior demanded.

Amberpaw stood there trembling like a leaf and Cloudpaw could almost swear his legs were about to give out. "SunClan attacked the border patrol! We tried to fight back, Mountainblaze and Rainpaw were there too but then another SunClan patrol joined the battle and I was sent to fetch help!"

"You have more experience than Rainpaw, so why not send him instead of you?" Robinwing stepped over to the shaking apprentice.

Amberpaw shook his head, "Rainpaw was an easy defeat for Embertail…"

Cloudpaw and Silentpaw exchanged horrified glances. "I'm going to go warn Adderstar!" Cloudpaw declared and pelted off back to camp. If Robinwing said anything, Cloudpaw didn't hear him. "Adderstar," Cloudpaw yowled as he burst into camp. All the cats in the clearing looked up at him, including the leader who was sitting under a fern rock hang. "SunClan attacked the border patrol!"

Adderstar hissed and sprang up onto the Great Boulder instantly, "Owlflight, Winterstorm, Spottedfur, Dewpool and Larkfeather will be the first wave to join the battle! Silverheart, Robinwing, Darkpaw, Bloodfang, and I will be the wave to relieve any of those who need to fall back! The rest of you stay behind and guard camp! Clear out!" The cats whose names had been called raced out of camp, fur bristling and claws unsheathed.

Cloudpaw looked around the now nearly empty camp. Aside from the kits and the cat staying behind to watch them, the elders, Icewhisker, and the apprentices, there was nobody. Silentpaw padded in slowly with Amberpaw leaning on him as they headed for the medicine den. "He just needs something for shock," Silentpaw told Cloudpaw as he walked by. Not really caring about stupid herbs and medicines, Cloudpaw wandered over to the apprentices' den and shook himself out in the mouth of the crevice in the cliff wall where the den was. Not minding his wet fur, he plopped down in his nest and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes a short while later to Silentpaw's tongue running over his wet fur. Cloudpaw sighed as his brother groomed his fur, enjoying the silence between them. Silentpaw prodded Cloudpaw's side and the black and white furred apprentice rolled onto his back, letting Silentpaw dry off his belly. When the younger brother had finished the long task, he lay down in his nest near Cloudpaw's. Cloudpaw got to his paws and shuffled over to Silentpaw, returning the favor. The two brothers curled up together for a nap afterwards.

Neither knew how long it had been since they closed their eyes but when they awoke, the camp was filled with noise and injured cats. Cloudpaw padded out into the clearing with Silentpaw at his side, the two looking around for their brother. They found him in the medicine den, sleeping with Amberpaw keeping watch over the den while Icewhisker was out and about tending to wounds. The brown tabby brightened at seeing Cloudpaw and Silentpaw. Cloudpaw padded over to Rainpaw and gave a curious sniff, nose wrinkling at the scent of herbs. An insane amount of cobweb was wrapped around Rainpaw's left shoulder and there was a fair amount of poultice on his left ear.

Amberpaw nestled down next to him and gave Rainpaw's head a few licks, "He's been unconscious since the middle of the fight when Embertail knocked him against a rock. I owe that tom a few choice words the next time I see him."

"Who won?" Silentpaw asked. For a moment the other two were stunned he said anything but his voice was so soft and quiet they thought they had possibly imagined it until he repeated the question.

"Our warriors are pretty battered, but StoneClan is victorious. Nobody has life threatening injuries," a blue-ish grey tom with bright blue eyes trotted in.

"That's good news, Icewhisker," Cloudpaw sighed in relief.

Icewhisker nudged Cloudpaw to the exit, "If you are quite done visiting Rainpaw you need to get out. It's crowded enough in here. You can at least make yourself useful and bring Rainpaw and Amberpaw something to eat."

"How come Amberpaw gets to stay?" Cloudpaw muttered as he trotted out of the den with Silentpaw. They returned shortly with a fat squirrel and set it down by Amberpaw.

"He gets to stay," Icewhisker hissed when they returned, "Because Rainpaw is stubborn and will not do what he needs to do without support."

"We're capable of giving him support!" Cloudpaw protested.

Icewhisker shook his head, "Not the support he needs." Cloudpaw wanted to bat the old cat's face but decided against it and stalked out of the den in a huff. Silentpaw walked over to Rainpaw and pressed his muzzle into grey tabby fur before turning tail and following Cloudpaw.

* * *

**AN:/** Ffff I actually had this one done for a while, sorry Dx

Embertail - Denmark  
Spottedfur - Switzerland  
Dewpool - Estonia  
Bloodfang - Romania


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until a few moons later that Rainpaw was out and about, though still he wasn't allowed to train or hunt. Amberpaw was at his side whenever he could and Cloudpaw found him an annoying presence. He wished the tabby would just stay away… But that was wishful thinking… Putting Amberpaw out of his mind, Cloudpaw settled down with a mouse in the camp, listening to the gossip floating around at sunhigh.

Silentpaw was sitting with Sparrowstripe, "Kits! That's wonderful news, Sparrowstripe!" Winterstorm and Birdsong looked up from their spots in the clearing. The two toms then turned their heads sharply to glare at each other. Silentpaw looked around Sparrowstripe to see the two toms bristling and hissing softly at each other. "If you…don't mind me asking… who's their father?"

Sparrowstripe looked around the clearing, not missing the straining ears of many cats. Finally she leaned down and whispered something into his ear. When she was done she sat upright again, "I know you can keep a secret, Silentpaw." He nodded vigorously. "There's a good boy, now run along." Silentpaw stood, dipped his head then went on his way.

Cloudpaw looked around for Rainpaw, suddenly feeling hollow inside. He spotted the grey tabby curled up in a patch of warm sunshine. Cloudpaw sprang to his paws and bounded over to his brother, prodding him awake. "What do you want?" Rainpaw looked up.

"Rainpaw….do you know who our parents are?" Cloudpaw asked.

Rainpaw lifted his head and flicked the ear that had been nicked by Embertail, "That's a strange question to ask. And out of nowhere too!"

"No I'm serious!" The black and white apprentice mewed, sounding a bit distressed.

"If it makes you happy," Rainpaw rested his chin on his paws again, "I don't know."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" Cloudpaw hissed a bit irritated.

"It wasn't supposed to make you feel better; it was supposed to answer the question you presented."

Cloudpaw sighed, "Then who do you think our parents are?"

"This isn't a good time for questions, I'm tired," Rainpaw muttered, closing his eyes.

"Well I think Silverheart might be our father," Cloudpaw stated, "And maybe our mother just…isn't around anymore." Rainpaw said nothing but flicked his tail tip. Scanning the clearing, Cloudpaw spotted the long furred silver warrior sharing prey with Adderstar and some other senior warriors. He trotted over boldly as the group dispersed to continue on with the day. "Silverheart," he called out to the tom.

"Oh, hello there, Cloudpaw," he greeted warmly, giving a soft purr as he touched noses with the apprentice.

"I was wondering something," Cloudpaw started, going on when he got a nod from Silverheart, "Are you Rainpaw, Silentpaw and I's father?"

Silverheart seemed stunned by the question, momentarily. Slowly he shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Cloudpaw. I'm sorry."

Cloudpaw's ears flattened and he looked away, "Oh… thanks… I'm sorry I bothered you with such a stupid question."

Silverheart felt a pang of sympathy for the young cat and draped a silky tail over Cloudpaw's shoulders, "If it makes you feel any better, I can act as a father figure for you and your brothers." The apprentice perked at that and pressed into the long fur of the senior warrior.

"Thanks, Silverheart," Cloudpaw purred before bounding away to annoy Rainpaw again.

"Come to my den, Silverheart," a voice startled the senior warrior. Silverheart turned to face Adderstar. The silver warrior blinked but followed after the clan leader into the tunnel, then entering a wide cave that was very dimly lit. "That was a big promise and commitment to make, Silverheart,"

"It's not like I've sworn my life to a mate," Silverheart replied, "The apprentices want a father. It could have gone worse; he could have asked who his real parents were."

"I could care less about Cloudpaw, he's so dense. I'm more worried about Rainpaw and Silentpaw," Adderstar growled, motioning with his tail for Silverheart to sit.

"Worried?" Silverheart repeated. "What is there to be worried about, no disrespect meant?"

"Rainpaw spent several moons in the medicine cat den; you know as well as I do the gossip almost always goes through there first. Rainpaw is clever; he always evaluates his choices before acting on a decision. Silentpaw says nothing but he hears everything. I can tell just by watching him he turns over everything he hears in his brain, calculating and putting pieces of a puzzle together. Cloudpaw knows how to throw his weight around; he'll be a strong, ambitious warrior when he's finished training. Those three make for a dangerous combination," Adderstar paced his den.

"I see nothing wrong with this situation. They are clever, intelligent, and strong when they are cooperating together," Silverheart replied.

"I am worried they may eventually figure out their past," Adderstar sighed but padded over to Silverheart, "I'm getting old, Silverheart, and so is Owlflight and Icewhisker. Icewhisker needs an apprentice soon, before we wake up one day without a medicine cat. Owlflight has told me he wishes to join the elders in a few moons."

Silverheart stared at his leader, "I don't understand why you're telling me this, Adderstar."

"You have an open heart and an open mind, Silverheart. I want to know who you think is a good replacement for Owlflight."

Silverheart sat there thinking for a while until he managed out a single name, "Winterstorm. He is a brave warrior with a great spirit and no cat doubts his loyalty to StoneClan. His ambition could be a good drive for young cats in future generations after us. Although promoting him to deputy would not do us much good; it would boost his already oversized ego."

The two cats purred in amusement at the thought but Adderstar broke off in a fit of coughing. He recollected himself quickly, "StarClan has given me a warning… A great trouble is coming to StoneClan and I can do nothing to stop it. I was told of stones splitting in half and clanmates spilling each other's blood. It is terrifying…to have the same dream over and over every time I close my eyes…but know nothing can be done about it."

"Have you told Icewhisker about it?" Silverheart inquired.

Adderstar shook his massive head slowly, "Icewhisker has lost faith in StarClan. He hasn't visited the Moon Crystal for several seasons."

The silver warrior flinched a bit, "What kind of clan are we, if our own medicine cat does not believe in StarClan?"

"A nearly broken one, according to StarClan…" Adderstar sighed before continuing, "Do you think Rainpaw would be interested in becoming the next medicine cat? He just seems so nervous during warrior training…"

"I've often heard him talking to Silentpaw about his training. Rainpaw says he would enjoy his training more if Mountainblaze weren't so harsh on him," Silverheart paused for a moment, "Though Mountainblaze is one of the gentlest cats I know."

Adderstar curled his tail thoughtfully, "He hasn't let his shoulder injury slow him down though. He'll continue to train under Mountainblaze. I'm sure Rainpaw will want to have a fair chance against Embertail if they ever meet in battle again. Now go. I am tired."

Silverheart rose to his paws and dipped his head respectfully before leaving and heading back outside. Robinwing bounded over to him, ginger and white pelt shining in the sunlight, "What did Adderstar need?"

Silverheart flicked an ear, wanting to get off the subject, "Just my thoughts on a few things. How's your training with Cloudpaw coming along?"

"He's such a bother!" Robinwing sighed unhappily, "He's a noisy hunter and he has clumsy paws in battle training. The only thing he's good at is eating and taking naps!"

A soft purr as the senior warrior recalled his first apprentice, "You just need to figure out the best way to communicate with him, that's all."

Robinwing shook his head, changing the topic, "What do you think of Sparrowstripe expecting kits?"

"Kits are always a wonderful part of clan life. But those she-cats know how to drive a tom crazy, I'll say that," Silverheart sighed quietly.

"I'll admit that I am quite surprised you don't have a single kit to call your own. You! Of all cats in the valley! No regards to gender or labels!" Robinwing exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Oh trust me, that tom is a tramp," Goldenfire snorted as she dragged herself past them towards the fresh kill pile. "I remember when he was an apprentice! You always had to keep your eye on him or he'd be chasing after and flirting with some poor cat."

"Ah, well…" Silverheart gave his chest fur a few quick licks, "You can't blame a cat when he's lonely, no?"

The golden furred elder gave a disdainful sniff, "Applefur and Stormfrost are gone because of you."

The senior warrior bristled slightly, "Your kits left on their own. You still have Robinwing and Foxpelt."

"My first kit was taken from me! My poor kit, Hawktalon! His father was your mentor and he died saving you from a dog because you were too stupid to run away when he yelled at you! You put Foxpelt in danger too! Foxpelt and Hawktalon lost their father because of you!" Goldenfire snarled, bushing out her fur, "Applefur and Stormfrost were born to a different father and they left when they learned you killed their father! And Robinwing never knew his father; he has no memory of his father because you killed him before he opened his eyes!"

"Falling Feather was not worthy of being a father of any cat," Robinwing uttered softly.

Goldenfire turned to glare at her youngest son, her gaze softened and turned to sadness, "You would have liked him if you knew him."

"I know enough to safely say he is not a father I would be proud of," the ginger and white warrior spat. "He ran between clans and constantly mated with many she-cats. StarClan only knows how many kits he has."

"Enough!" Goldenfire hissed and swatted Robinwing with a hard paw, making the warrior stagger a bit. "You will not speak of your own father in that manner." She gave another snarl before turning tail and stalking over to the fresh kill pile.

Across the camp, Cloudpaw was concerned for his mentor when he noticed the ginger tail droop. His mentor's pride seemed wounded and despair hung over him like a dark cloud. The apprentice had a moment of realization; there was more to these cats than they showed, and some had a darker past than others.

* * *

AN:/ I'm only here for the making you aware of new kitties this time

Hawktalon - Ireland  
Applefur - Wales  
Stormfrost - North Ireland  
Foxpelt - Scotland  
Falling Feather - Random OC


	5. Chapter 5

"A hunting patrol, I'm so excited!" Silentpaw said gleefully in his usual near whisper voice. Rainpaw gave a reserved nod though Cloudpaw could tell his brother was just as anxious and excited.

"And we get to go to a gathering tonight," Cloudpaw added happily. Several sunrises had passed since the battle with SunClan and wounds were healing and slowly disappearing.

Rainpaw stretched, "My first one… You're both lucky to have gone already."

"You should have seen Amberpaw the gathering after you were injured. He really delivered some harsh words to Embertail," Silentpaw mewed. Rainpaw purred at the thought of his friend spitting fury at a warrior seasons older than either.

"I think Darkpaw is having his assessment today," Cloudpaw observed as the dark apprentice prowled about, leaving the camp with his mentor and Owlflight close behind.

Rainpaw shivered, "He gives me the creeps sometimes."

"I think he's a nice cat. He's just…been through a lot, that's all," Silentpaw muttered quietly. Rainpaw and Cloudpaw exchanged looks. When they turned to look at Silentpaw again, Rainpaw looked stoic while Cloudpaw beamed. "N-no it isn't what you think, he's just a good friend is all…"

"Right," Cloudpaw smirked, leaning in close to his brother, "Just like Rainpaw and Amberpaw are 'just friends'."

"Hey don't bring me into this!" Rainpaw pounced on his littermate, the two writhing about on the ground in a friendly tussle.

"He so totally likes you! And you so totally like him back!" Cloudpaw teased, pinning his smaller brother down.

Rainpaw hissed in defeat and pushed the black and white tom off, "Amberpaw is just a friend. Best friend. But that's it! We are and never will be anything more!"

What the three littermates failed to miss was the older apprentice's reaction across the camp. The tabby apprentice had been sharing a squirrel with Larkfeather and Rabbitleap. He heard the grey tabby's words clear and crisp, ears flattening and head drooping a bit, "Oh…" Amberpaw stated blankly. "Err…you know, I'm not hungry anymore…"

The two brothers exchanged glances. As Amberpaw got up to pad away, Larkfeather blocked his path and growled, "You're going to let a few little words bring you down?"

"Why should I bother him if he only sees us as good friends?" Amberpaw hissed back halfheartedly, moving to go around Larkfeather.

Rabbitleap bounced over to block him that way, "That's no reason to give up! If I did that then Grayclaw and I wouldn't be where we are today!"

"Great StarClan is every cat in this clan bent?!" a kit wailed loudly.

"Great StarClan is every kit this annoying? Go back to the nursery where you belong, Sharpkit." Larkfeather snapped at the kit. Sharpkit stuck his tail and head in the air and walked back to the nursery. "I swear that kit is going to get in trouble for his arrogance one day."

Amberpaw seemed to sink a bit further into sadness, "He's right though… How are the clans going to get stronger without kits?"

"You listen, mousebrain. Look around me and tell me how many she-cats and she-kits are in this clan," Larkfeather growled at him.

Amberpaw looked around the camp hesitantly, speaking the names of the she-cats aloud, "Sparrowstripe…Hollyberry…Goldenfire…and Honeykit."

"Exactly my point, there's only four she-cats in this entire clan and three of them can't even have kits! Now tell me, how is the whole clan supposed to share one she-cat? You can't, and you _know_ what happens to us toms when she-cats…ahem. Yeah. You get it. When that happens we kind of need an accessible mate around," the brown tabby warrior glared into amber eyes.

"Why are there so few she-cats though?" Amberpaw asked.

Larkfeather felt Rabbitleap's gaze piercing him and he sighed, stepping back. "A few seasons before you were kitted, Thornstar of SunClan decided she was done with her constant rivalries with StoneClan and CloudClan. So she started sending her warriors into other clans' camps to kill their she-cats and kits so those clans could never grow. One clan in particular, CreekClan, suffered the most and their clan fell apart after an attack from a rival clan. CreekClan fell apart last leaf-bare. You'd be too young to remember anything or any talk about it. Of course, after SunClan's brutal and foxhearted attacks, the other clans took action and decided to try and kill their she-cats. But…to this day, SunClan has the most she-cats of all the clans in the valley, a grand total of five; while CloudClan has two. Please keep in mind I did not count their elders or kits. All of the clans are still recovering-"

"Larkfeather," a stern voice interrupted. The three tabby toms flinched and noticed Adderstar glaring at them. "You know we don't speak of the Dark Seasons."

Larkfeather challenged him, "Oh yeah? Well you aren't going to stop me from speaking of the valley clans' history. Every cat has a right to know what happened."

"Knowledge is as much good as it is bad. If it falls into the wrong paws then that cat can use that knowledge as a weapon sharper than claws and fangs," Adderstar snarled.

"We may be related, and you may be leader, but I'm not afraid of you. Your growl is worse than your scratch," Larkfeather spat.

"Would you like to test that theory?" Adderstar hissed, baring his sharp fangs to the young warrior and bushing out his pelt.

Larkfeather didn't flinch at the appearance to look frightening, "I recognize a challenge when it presents itself. You're crow-food."

"Wait, please!" Rabbitleap jumped between the two toms before they collided in a ball of teeth in claws. "You're kin! And we can't afford to fight among ourselves!"

Adderstar shrank back, his claws sliding back. His fur now bristled out of fear, the prophecy ringing in his ears. "Y-you're right, I'm sorry." He turned and vanished back into his den. The whole clan had been watching and now turned to glance at Rabbitleap and Larkfeather.

"You can't fight with him, brother!" Rabbitleap whipped his head around so he was almost nose to nose with Larkfeather. "He's the closest thing to family we've got!"

"He never cared about us!" Larkfeather shot back icily. His fierce gaze softened and his fur lay flat when he noticed tears pooling in Rabbitleap's eyes, "No…don't cry, Rabbitleap…"

"P-please never say that again…" the younger brother trembled, "It reminds me too much of the Dark Seasons… Please promise me you'll never say that again!"

Larkfeather sighed and gave his littermate a reassuring lick on the head, "I promise… Now stop crying you overgrown kit…"

It took a few moments for Rabbitleap to let himself be calmed, but once he was, he took a deep breath and was back to his cheerful self again, "Now, about your problem with Rainpaw!" Amberpaw was stunned by the quick recovery; even Larkfeather seemed a bit shocked. "I think you should keep trying! You're both going to a gathering tonight, right? Well sit close to him but don't make it awkward! And you should offer to share prey with him every now and then. Oh and you could try to get on patrols and stuff with him too! He can be grumpy and all but I think that's Mountainblaze's fault."

"What's going on between him and his mentor anyway?" Larkfeather asked.

"Oh, err…" Rabbitleap looked like he'd been seen by a monster, "…Training too hard! Yeah! Well I'm off to join the border patrol! Bye, bye now!" He quickly ran off to a group of cats about to leave.

"I may have known him all my life," Larkfeather sighed, "But even I don't understand him and his mood swings all the time… Well good luck." The young warrior pressed his muzzle to Amberpaw's head before walking off. Amberpaw stood alone at the edge of camp, watching Rabbitleap leave with the border patrol. He gazed across camp back at Rainpaw. The younger apprentice seemed to be bickering with his littermates over something yet again. The three joined Silverheart and Robinwing a few heartbeats later for their self-organized hunting patrol.

Amber eyes narrowed when Rainpaw was pulled away by Mountainblaze. "I'll catch up with you guys later!" Rainpaw called after them, voice betraying nothing. As soon as the others were gone, Rainpaw lost his confident attitude and shivered almost unnoticeably, his belly brushing the stone floor and ears pressed flat against his head. "W-what did I do this time?" Rainpaw asked so quietly Amberpaw had to strain his ears to hear. "I haven't told anybody anything, I swear!" This time his voice was little more than a choked whisper.

"You didn't meet me at the creek shelter last night," Mountainblaze growled at the apprentice.

Amberpaw crept closer, still skirting the edge of the camp so he could hear the conversation better. Rainpaw whimpered a bit, "I-I'm tired of this, Mountainblaze… It hurts and-"

"You'll get used to it," the warrior cut in sharply, making his apprentice gulp nervously.

"Can't I get a break?" Rainpaw asked timidly. "It can't be that bad…"

"No," Mountainblaze snarled, "Creek shelter tonight or you get punished severely." With that the warrior stalked off after Silverheart and the others.

"Rainpaw…" Amberpaw called out to him. The younger jumped and curled his tail around himself tightly. "Let me help you…"

"N-no… I can manage…" he whimpered and slipped off to follow his mentor and brothers. And it was at that moment that Amberpaw decided he would stick close to Rainpaw whenever he could, for his safety.

* * *

**AN:/** Time to bump the rating up C':

Grayclaw - Germany  
Honeykit - Liechtenstein  
Thornstar - Belarus


	6. Chapter 6

That night at the gathering, Rainpaw seemed more jumpy than usual. He was bashful when a young SunClan warrior approached him and she took advantage of that. She purred and pressed her fur into his and swatted his nose playfully with her tail. He tried backing away from her and she followed. Amberpaw flicked an ear before trotting over and standing next to Rainpaw defensively, pelts brushing.

"Why don't you go bother Dustcloud?" Amberpaw asked.

"He's no fun!" The white she cat pouted, "StoneClan apprentices are always fun to play with. And they always have the prettiest kits that grow into handsome warriors." Rainpaw pressed closer to Amberpaw and the older tom licked his cheek affectionately. The she-cat seemed upset with this, "I've never heard of a warrior and an apprentice being mates."

"Neither have I, Whitewolf, now go back to your clan," Amberpaw snorted. The fluffy white she-cat huffed and stalked off unhappily. Rainpaw heaved a sigh of relief and stepped away from Amberpaw. "That was Whitewolf. She's a young warrior but there's rumor she's the one going from clan to clan and stealing kits."

"A kit thief! You'd have thought we would've heard about that by now." Rainpaw grumbled.

"No, no. She goes from clan to clan and forces toms to have kits with her. That's only a rumor but many cats think the rumor is true. Seems like she was targeting you next," Amberpaw rolled his eyes.

Rainpaw licked his chest fur, "Isn't it against the Warrior Code to do that?"

"Just like it's against the Warrior Code to take another cat's life; we need to show our opponents mercy when they're defeated," Amberpaw sighed.

"Well…thanks for that," Rainpaw gave a soft purr and nuzzled Amberpaw before walking off to join Cloudpaw and Silentpaw. Amberpaw quietly decided Larkfeather and Rabbitleap were right, before trotting away to talk with some CloudClan warriors.

"Hey do you see her?" Silentpaw asked, pointing his nose in the direction of a light brown tabby she-cat. Cloudpaw and Rainpaw followed their littermate's gaze, then turned back to look at him nodding. "Well she's been watching the three of us ever since we got here. It's kind of making me uncomfortable."

"Well maybe we should go say hello!" Cloudpaw declared and stood up to go greet the she-cat. He wasn't able to, however, as the clan leaders yowled for the gathering to start. The clans grew silent as Adderstar scaled up the tall, lonely tree.

"All is well in StoneClan," he began, "We successfully drove out an irritated fox and it certainly won't be bothering us in our territory again." Meows of approval rippled from the StoneClan warriors though the noise quickly died down, "In a few moons time one of our warriors will be moving to the nursery to bring new life to our clan." Soft hisses rang out from the rival clans and continued as Adderstar hopped down to a lower tree branch to make room for a sleek black tom with amber eyes.

"That's Willowstar of CloudClan," Silentpaw whispered to Rainpaw, who seemed confused as to who this cat was, "And his deputy is Cobrastrike, the evil looking dark brown tabby next to Owlflight."

"CloudClan has been doing well this green-leaf. Twolegs have been invading our territory again with their activity they call 'mountain climbing'. This time they bring dogs and sticks that spit fire and thunder," Willowstar began, pausing for this information to sink into the assembled cats' ears. "These sticks are more dangerous than anything we've ever known. Cobrastrike lead a patrol several sunrises ago and they witnessed the twolegs kill a mother mountain lion and her cubs with this stick. The young twolegs found joy in this and must have thought it would be fun to kill my clanmates… Nightflame and Tallshadow now hunt with StarClan." The black cat shakily clambered down next to Adderstar.

The cats were silent for a while, mourning the loss of the lost warriors. A black and white she-cat with blazing yellow eyes sprang up hastily onto the branch above Adderstar and Willowstar. "Great StarClan she's got long claws!" Rainpaw hissed in a bit of shock, "I'd hate to be her opponent!"

In front of him, Silverheart looked over his shoulder, "She's Thornstar, SunClan's leader. She gets her name from her thorn sharp claws and fangs; also the one who decided it would be best to eliminate the she-cats in the other clans besides her own. She paid dearly for it though…"

"Listen up mange-pelts! There's an unwanted warrior here! And three apprentices who shouldn't be alive!" Thornstar snarled, startling many of the cats in the gathering. Her piercing gaze swept across the clearing, landing on the tabby she-cat Silentpaw had pointed out earlier. "Halfstar has been hiding in CloudClan since her clan fell apart in leaf-bare!"

"Step down Thornstar," Willowstar rose to his paws, glaring up at the she-cat, "She is no threat and I assure you she is not planning an attack. She has even backed away from her leader name and we of CloudClan have accepted her as Halfmoon once more."

Thornstar scoffed, "Leaders can't simply drop their title and become a warrior again. They keep their title until they lose their last life! I say until she's dead, she's only going to bring trouble to all of us!" Adderstar has his glare fixed on the former leader, tail tip twitching in irritation.

"Well she's my problem to deal with now, not yours, so leave her be," Willowstar snapped at her.

"StarClan has sent no sign of disapproval!" The black and white she-cat snarled, "Look at the sky! The moon is full and still shining bright; no clouds have been cast against me; and those three-!" Her head turned sharply to glare at Cloudpaw and his littermates, "StarClan sent me a sign! The black and white one will bring nothing but destruction to the valley until he dies! Those three apprentices shouldn't be alive!"

Rainpaw shrank back at the accusation; Silentpaw whimpered a bit and tried to hide in Silverheart's fur; and Cloudpaw simply sat tall, unfazed by the sudden assault of words. Thornstar went on, "Those three should have died a long time ago! They should never have been kitted! We must drive them from our valley homes now before they murder us all!"

Before any cat could make a noise of agreement, Owlflight rose and spat venom at the leader, "You cannot accuse them of a crime they didn't commit!"

"And you cannot ignore a sign from StarClan!" Thornstar snarled at him.

"They are StoneClan apprentices, and you shall not harm them for as long as I live," Adderstar jumped up onto the branch beside Thornstar. The she-cat snarled but said nothing more, springing down from the branch and marching back towards SunClan territory, sweeping her tail for her clanmates to follow.

"Are you leaving now too, Adderstar?" Willowstar asked the older tom.

He nodded, "As much as our clan should stay and talk, I fear for the safety of my apprentices. Farewell until the next time we meet." The two leaders dipped heads before summoning their clanmates and headed back to their territories. All the way back to StoneClan territory, Amberpaw stayed close to Rainpaw's side, not daring to let any cat besides his brothers and their mentors near.

Back at StoneClan camp, the warriors and apprentices immediately went back to their dens, tired and worn down. Icewhisker was about to settle down for the night until Adderstar walked into the medicine cat den. "Can we talk for a short while?" Icewhisker sat up with a grunt and Adderstar sat in front of him. "I know your case with StarClan, but have they sent you any signs of those three being a danger?"

"I have not, at least not prior to Thornstar's warning. In the moment after she mentioned having to chase them out of the valley, I saw a vision… The whole gathering was gone except for those three and they were somewhere within StoneClan territory. I saw them grown up; Cloudpaw and Rainpaw were arguing about something. Silentpaw was trying to break it up before something nasty happened. A grown Amberpaw showed up and tried to help Silentpaw. He managed to drag Rainpaw away but suddenly Cloudpaw attacked… And then I saw the three of them in the gathering again, but Silentpaw was angry with Cloudpaw and Cloudpaw's fur was soaked in blood…" Icewhisker shivered at the memory, the fur along his spine spiked.

"What about Rainpaw?" Adderstar prompted the medicine cat.

"Rainpaw," the old cat's eyes went wide, "Rainpaw you ask?" A sort of hysterical near insane purr erupted from the medicine cat, "He was laying on the ground dead at his brother's paws! Murdered! Murdered! Murdered by his own kin I say!"

* * *

AN:/ Two chapters in a day ^^ Let me know what you think so far! Any predictions? Just to let you know, 25th review gets a picture~ And no they can't be 24 straight you reviews of 'hi good story'. I mean actual reviews and feedback ^^;

Dustcloud - Australia  
Whitewolf - New Zealand  
Willowstar - China  
Cobrastrike - Mongolia  
Nightflame - Random OC  
Tallshadow - Random OC  
Halfstar/Halfmoon - Native America


	7. Chapter 7

Leaf-fall came early, driving all the prey into their burrows and nests early. "The geese are flying south sooner than usual," Hollyberry commented. Next to her, Goldenfire mumbled her agreement through a mouthful of robin and shivered a bit. "Maybe we can get the apprentices to bring us more moss."

Goldenfire snorted, "I don't want Cloudpaw anywhere near me. You heard Thornstar; he's dangerous and he's going to kill us all." Hollyberry threw her a sideways glance. Golden fur rustled as the older she-cat stood up, "I'm going to fetch my own moss."

The ill-tempered she-cat was not the only one being defensive. A few other warriors were doing their best to turn their paws the opposite direction whenever Cloudpaw came near. The apprentice sighed unhappily, something clawing at his belly and making him uneasy with how his clanmates were treating him. Rainpaw noticed and did his best to comfort Cloudpaw, while Silentpaw stayed at his side and offered silent condolence day in and day out. The cats' mentors were rather concerned as well, even Mountainblaze (whom Amberpaw noticed started cutting the nightly meetings since the Gathering and Cloudpaw's depression). In the training hollow, Cloudpaw was putting half-hearted blows into his attack training and not bothering to dodge when on defensive.

"I'm fed up with this poor treatment," Robinwing declared in an irritated tone.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to put more pep into it tomorrow…" Cloudpaw muttered, shuffling his paws on the smooth stone.

Robinwing sighed and trotted over to his apprentice, draping a ginger tail over broad shoulders, "It isn't your fault, Cloudpaw. Your clanmates should have more faith in you. Come on; try to think of how useful you'll be as a warrior when you complete your training!"

"There doesn't seem to be much to look forward to anymore. I don't feel like I belong here…" The black and white apprentice mewed sadly, turning his gaze to the path that led out of camp. He missed Robinwing and Silverheart exchanged frightened looks.

"Oh rest assured you are StoneClan, you silly apprentice," Mountainblaze remarked coolly.

"I don't know about that. All StoneClan cats have tough pads and course fur and firm claws that won't painfully break when trying to climb cliff walls. I have none of those. My pads are soft and my fur is smooth and soft and every time I try to climb the Steep Ledge I always slip and fall," Cloudpaw sighed again.

"If it makes you feel better," Rainpaw started, "Silentpaw and I are the same way. And so are Amberpaw and Darkpaw."

"Sounds like CreekClan cats," Larkfeather grumbled in his usual grouchy manner. "Each clan has learned to live specifically in their homes."

"That's right," a blue-ish gray tom with piercing blue eyes added, joining them. "StoneClan cats are born to walk on stone and moss and withstand fierce winds that blow down from the mountains. Our territory is at the foot of a mountain and so it includes flat stone surfaces from the mountain and soft grass from where the stone turns to dirt."

"What about the rest of the clans?" Silentpaw asked, stepping up to the muscular tom.

"CloudClan is the clan that lives in the mountains. They have tougher pads than we do and their fur is thick enough block cold weather but short enough to keep dry and not clinging with snow from the blizzards they live with. They're long legged and agile – they have to when leaping across gaps constantly. SunClan is the clan that practically lives next to the darker part of the twoleg place. StarClan gave them sharp claws and long fangs to fight off the rouges and kittypets who go hunt in their territory for sport. Their territory is mostly out in the open. In greenleaf the twolegs use their farm monsters to rip up the earth and they plant twoleg food. SunClan says there are foods twolegs call pumpkins and corn. While we cats can't eat them, they attract mice and other creatures that provide food," the blue-gray tom explained.

"You may as well tell them about CreekClan, too, Grayclaw," Larkfeather prodded. The two toms shared a glare for a moment before Larkfeather grumbled and began to explain it himself, "CreekClan used to share borders with StoneClan and SunClan. They lived in the rich forest but they constantly dealt with floods and high water during new leaf when snow on the mountain melts and runs down through their territory. Their fur is soft and smooth, usually oily to help the water slide off their long fur. They have the softest pads of all the valley clans. It's rare for CreekClan cats to have short fur."

Rainpaw looked at his shorter fur, then at his brothers' long fur. The only thing he shared in common with them was a fluffy yet powerful tail. Cloudpaw sighed and Silentpaw continued to look on in comfortable peace. "After you're done here you should go hunting by the Steep Ledge. Plenty of prey running around there today; best catch as much as we can before the rain season comes," Grayclaw mewed and continued on to camp. Larkfeather dipped his head to the other cats before padding off after the strict tom.

"Hunting doesn't sound too bad right now," Mountainblaze stretched, "The fog will be setting in soon too. It's almost sun down." Silverheart agreed with a grumble and slight complaint.

"Old cat," Robinwing commented, "Why aren't you with the elders yet?"

"Ah, my time to join them is close, but not so close. I'm still quite young compared to those two, mind you. And I do plan to serve my clan until its near impossible for my bones to carry me as far as the fresh kill pile and back," the silver tom purred and swished his tail.

Robinwing rolled his eyes, "Cloudpaw and I are going to stay behind and help out around camp." Without much more being said, Silverheart lead the other three cats away towards the Steep Ledge. Cloudpaw faced his mentor. "You should try to cheer up before we do anything else. I know Russetpath would like some help taking care of the kits."

"But who's their real parents? I heard Russetpath and Dewpool saying they weren't StoneClan," Cloudpaw asked.

"Nobody knows their real parents, but they were raised by Mousestep and Sharpsight of SunClan at first. As far as those three kits are concerned, they belong to StoneClan," Robinwing replied.

"But don't they have a right to know their birth clan?" The apprentice challenged, "Isn't it wrong to lie to them their whole lives?"

"They don't have to know," Robinwing began to walk back to camp. "Honeykit is content in calling Spottedfur her big brother. And Leafkit feels comfortable with Dewpool and Russetpath. Sharpkit though…he doesn't get along with really any cat."

"Maybe he'd feel more at home in SunClan with the mother and father whom he remembers their scents as a newborn," Cloudpaw bounded after the ginger and white tom. "Maybe he remembers being so close to the twoleg place."

"He's hardly three moons old now and he can't even remember what he had to eat yesterday before sleeping. I highly doubt he remembers anything about SunClan. We're done talking about this," the mentor growled and pushed his way into the camp.

Cloudpaw stopped before going through the camp entrance, "Have you been telling me lies since I was a kit?" He clawed at the stone before sliding into the camp after Robinwing.

"It seems we've just missed a clan meeting," Robinwing stated as the black and white apprentice joined him in the camp.

Cloudpaw craned his neck to see what had happened, "What was it? Was it something important?"

"Darkpaw was made a warrior; he's Darksky now!" Rabbitleap replied as he bounced around excitedly. "And Winterstorm is the new deputy since Owlflight is retiring to the elder's den now!"

"Winterstorm is the new deputy, huh? I won't say that was a bad choice, but it certainly wasn't the best either…" Robinwing commented. He watched as Icewhisker heaved himself up from in front of the medicine cat den to go congratulate Winterstorm. Robinwing angled his folded ears to the old cat, "I hope he gets an apprentice soon."

"Every cat does. Nobody knows when he's going to choke," Rabbitleap frowned, then brightened, "But I'm sure one of the kits in the nursery will want to be his apprentice! And if not, Sparrowstripe might have a kit that will be interested."

"StarClan can be cruel sometimes," a new voice joined the conversation. The three cats turned their heads towards the voice. A brownish-red tom with ruby eyes and a single long fang extending downwards was sitting there. "Things have been too calm for too long. I sense a battle coming soon."

"Don't go around scaring every cat Bloodfang," Grayclaw glared at the ruby-eyed cat in the shadows around the edge of camp.

"You're all so blind to the ill omens," Bloodfang commented, "Haven't you noticed the owls flying around during the day? How about the ravens and vultures lurking around in greater numbers? And what do you think of the birds dying without reason and the vast number of trees starting to rot? Something big is about to happen and it isn't going to be lovely."

"Since when did you become an expert at interpreting?" Grayclaw scoffed.

"I never said I was an expert. And who says I am interpreting? I am simply being observant of my surroundings. When Icewhisker was still sane he told me bringing kittypets and rouges into the clan was bad luck too," the shadow lurking cat curled his tail over his paws.

Robinwing gave a sniff, "Icewhisker was never sane. He's been crazy since the get-go. That's why he's a medicine cat because no cat felt safe teaching him how to fight."

"Let me be the first to remind you he was the one to correctly interpret CreekClan's downfall several seasons before those signs of their falling apart even started." Bloodfang frowned, "I'm not going to defend him, but I think you should show him some more respect."

"Go hunt some bats," Grayclaw snapped. The brown-red tom looked about to protest but didn't and got up, strolling out of camp after throwing a nasty glare at Grayclaw.

Until the sun had vanished behind distant mountains, Cloudpaw spent the rest of daylight cleaning out nests and entertaining the kits. When his brothers returned, they had brought back plenty of prey for the clan and…two other cats. Cloudpaw looked at the two cats curiously from outside the apprentice den, watching Mountainblaze trot away from them to find Adderstar. Cats began to gather curiously as the two cats were nudged to the front of the Great Boulder. Adderstar appeared from his den alert, and bounded up quickly to the top of the highest point in camp, Winterstorm already on the rock lower than it.

"Silverheart, report," Adderstar demanded, struggling to keep his fur flat.

"Mountainblaze, myself, and our apprentices were hunting when we found these two snooping around our territory," the senior warrior spoke loud and clear.

Adderstar glared at the two outside cats, "What are you two called?"

"I'm called Heron," the pale grey tabby tom with green eyes replied.

A silver furred she-cat with shining eyes spoke up after him, "And I'm Jeanne."

"Where are you two from?" Adderstar growled, clawing the boulder under his paws.

"I left my house folk to explore some. I don't know about him though," Jeanne replied, looking at Heron.

Heron sighed, "I've been a loner since I was born. My mom didn't want me so I travel around a lot. I'll leave now if you want."

Adderstar growled, "No, you're both staying here until I figure out what to do with-"

"Clan life has always interested me," Jeanne cut him off, "Living together and taking care of each other is fascinating."

"Kittypets…" Adderstar muttered, "Silverheart and Bloodfang take these two to a secluded part of camp. Don't worry about guarding them; Darksky is sitting vigil tonight. Clan dismissed."

Most of the clan went to their respective dens while a few others remained in the camp to gossip quietly. Cloudpaw watched as Silentpaw walked over to Darksky, congratulating the new warrior. A small smirk graced Cloudpaw's features when Darksky gave Silentpaw's head a lick before the dark furred warrior headed over to the camp entrance to sit vigil for the whole night. As the three brothers and Amberpaw headed to the apprentice den and curl up in their nests, a nagging feeling gnawed at Cloudpaw; the same feeling as he had been experiencing since the gathering. The memory of Bloodfang and the mention of several bad omens made him feel sick. And then there was the fact that the whole clan was willing and ready to lie to the SunClan kits and Larkfeather and Grayclaw mentioning different traits of the valley clans. Something in his head made Cloudpaw realize Bloodfang was right.

* * *

AN:/ Hello again! I have decided to in fact label this story as a crossover~

CreekClan - North America  
StoneClan - Europe  
CloudClan - Asia  
SunClan - Others (includes Africa and some Europeans because StoneClan is already freaking huge without the rest of them)

Russetpath - Lithuania  
Mousestep - Finland  
Sharpsight - Sweden  
Leafkit - Latvia  
Darkpaw/Darksky - Cuba  
Heron - Bulgaria  
Jeanne - Jeanne/Joan D'Arc

Fwah tell me if I missed anybody Dx I'll add them next chapter. I'll also be added cats/nations at the end of chapters as they are revealed. Sorry if I'm boring you, there going to be a change of events next chapter~!

Until next time  
Love, Alex


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up, wake up!" Cloudpaw woke up one morning to Silentpaw prodding his side. It was early leaf-fall when Jeanne and Heron arrived; now it was the middle of newleaf. The black and white fluffy cat rolled over with a moan, back to the cat prodding him. "Our assessment is today!" Silentpaw poked him in the ribs.

Cloudpaw jumped to his paws excitedly. "Yay we're going to be warriors!"

"Only if you pass," Sharppaw commented, growling and curling up in a ball of spiked fur.

Leafpaw, a timid light brown tom with white markings, lifted his head, "Be nice Sharppaw…"

"Don't tell me what to do! Now all of you shut up!" Sharppaw snapped, grey fur with darker grey patches bristling.

The cream and white she-cat ignored him and lifted her head, "Good luck to you both. And tell Rainpaw good luck for me too."

"Of course, Honeypaw, and thank you," Silentpaw dipped his head to the polite she-cat before leaving the den with Cloudpaw.

"Where is our brother anyway?" Cloudpaw asked as they entered the camp.

"He's visiting Sparrowstripe's kits," Silentpaw nodded to the nursery.

"He's always visiting them! I shouldn't have asked!" Cloudpaw huffed before sitting down to groom his messy fur.

Hollyberry sat down next to the two apprentices, "You should appreciate the closeness you share with your siblings before they go to join StarClan."

"Rainpaw is young, he won't be dying anytime soon," Owlflight muttered from the other side of the apprentices.

"StarClan can be cruel," the black elder sighed, looking up at the cloudless daytime sky. "They call the youngest kits sometimes and other times they refuse to take the sickest elder or the cat suffering endless pain. And there are times they let other clans take our kits without interference…"

"I'm sure Pebblekit and Ebonykit are fine," Owlflight heaved a short puff of air. "They have each other."

A few fox lengths to the cats' left in the corner of camp, Rainpaw tumbled out of the nursery with Sparrowstripe's four healthy kits. The kits gave attack mewls before all four pounced on the grey tabby apprentice. Blackkit, an unusually small jet black she-cat with blue eyes, was batting at Rainpaw's fluffy tail. Her sister Ashkit, a light grey tabby with ruby eyes was bouncing around and swatting at Rainpaw playfully. The third kit was a slightly pudgy dark grey she-cat with bright green eyes, Cloverkit; who was on Rainpaw's back and nipping at his ears. The only tom of the litter was Ivykit, a slender white kit with a curled tail and violet eyes. Rainpaw often kept the kits entertained when he wasn't busy and seemed to have infinite patience when playing with them.

He had allowed the kits to pin him to the ground and he gave soft noises of mock defeat. The kits scrambled off him, bouncing around gleeful from their victory. Rainpaw sat up and flicked his nicked ear when he heard a cat approaching him. The kits scampered off to bother their mother, leaving the grey tabby to turn and face Jeanne. "I'm sure you'd be a great father," she gave a soft purr.

"Oh I don't know about that…" Rainpaw licked at his chest fur in a bit of embarrassment.

"You've got enough patience for it," Jeanne added.

Rainpaw sighed a bit, "But I'm afraid that would never do."

Jeanne tilted her head, "Why is that?"

"I shouldn't tell any cat. StarClan has warned me of something but… There seems to be an unspoken code of not sharing your dreams with others," the tabby replied.

"That's too bad. Icewhisker seems to fancy sharing his dreams…except when he comes back from the Moon Crystal," The she-cat flicked her tail.

"Icewhisker is slowly going madder than a hare. And besides, I'm no medicine cat like he is. I'm sure my dream doesn't mean what I think it does," Rainpaw muttered before excusing himself and trotting over to his brothers.

"Are you ready?" Silentpaw asked, eyes shining.

"I can't wait to finally get started!" Cloudpaw swished his tail. Rainpaw said nothing, looking at a suddenly very interesting pebble. Cloudpaw blinked and leaned in to Rainpaw, "Is something wrong?"

"Take a look at the clan. Look how divided they are," the tabby replied. His brothers looked up; true to Rainpaw's word, the clan looked awfully divided. Cats were glaring at each other and the only voices were the ones of accusation and hissing. "There seems to be those who are forever loyal to Adderstar and as strange as it sounds, the other cats seem to be placing Robinwing high among them. That warrior has been challenging everything Adderstar says since leafbare when Adderstar lost a life falling off the Steep Ledge. Winterstorm and Grayclaw seem up to no good either."

"I _have_ noticed odd things going on with Robinwing, to be honest," Silentpaw admitted quietly, "There's a darker air around him…"

Cloudpaw seemed disgusted with the idea, "You guys just have soft mentors. Robinwing is a great mentor and a great cat!"

"I don't want to hear it about having a soft mentor," Rainpaw snapped at him, "You don't even know half of what I've been through!"

"Mountainblaze is as soft as a kittypet!" Cloudpaw hissed, fur bristling.

"Guys…" Silentpaw spoke almost inaudibly. The other two littermates continued throwing nasty insults and harsh words at each other and soon it wasn't even about their mentors but more so their own lives and experiences. "Stop it!" Silentpaw snarled harshly in an assertive tone, stepping between the two and surprising them with the change of character. "We need to go meet up with our mentors at the base of the Steep Ledge so stop fighting and get a move on."

"Just be ready for a fight against SunClan," Rainpaw spat as he shoved his way between Silentpaw and Cloudpaw headed towards the camp entrance.

With the hunting assessment underway, Cloudpaw had spotted and was now stalking a pika, a creature mouse-like in appearance with long legs though it very closely resembled a vole. It was busy scurrying about looking for berries to eat and didn't notice the enemy nearby. With quick, light, soundless steps, Cloudpaw burst forwards and captured the pika, killing it with a sharp nip to its neck.

At the end of the assessment Cloudpaw brought back a plump quail, two bluebirds, and the pika. Rainpaw returned with two squirrels and a blackbird while Silentpaw brought back a huge rat and a thrush.

"Well done you three!" Silverheart purred, swishing his tail, "Come now, and let us go back to camp."

There was difficulty between all six cats bringing the prey back to camp but it was accomplished and the three mentors went to find Adderstar while cats from clan congratulated the apprentices on their catches. Cloudpaw wanted to confront Rainpaw but the tabby had gone over to share prey with Amberheart. The brown tabby had certainly grown to be strong and gave off a vibe of energy; giving his clanmates hope during leafbare. He had gotten his name after Adderstar had recovered from losing a life and the leader had stated the handsome tom had a big heart that could care for the whole clan even in the days of distress; therefore earning the name Amberheart.

Winterstorm bounded up onto the Great Boulder to arrange the sunhigh patrols, "Birdsong I want you to lead the border patrol. Take Bloodfang, Heron, Spottedfur and Honeypaw. Grayclaw you can lead another patrol with Jeanne, Amberheart, Dewpool and Leafpaw." The named cats got into their patrols and were soon gone from the camp.

The rest of the day was quiet and rather uneventful. Rainpaw and Silentpaw were listening to the elders telling stories. Cloudpaw sat alone in front of the apprentices' den; gazing up at the sky and watching fat gray clouds roll in, hiding the sun.

Suddenly Adderstar's voice rang out crisp and clear from the Great Boulder, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here under the Great Boulder for a clan meeting!" The cats quickly assembled at the base of the boulder, looking up at their leader, though there was tension crackling in the air. "It is with great honor that I hold this ceremony. Cloudpaw, Rainpaw, and Silentpaw have completed their apprentice training and are ready to be welcomed into StoneClan as full warriors. Please, step forward you three."

The three climbed up to the Great Boulder, pelts shiny from grooming and eyes sparkling, standing next to each other with their fur brushing. "I, Adderstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down at these three apprentices. They have trained hard and worked hard to understand and follow the ways of the Warrior Code. Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Rainpaw answered, stepping up shakily to the massive tom.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I now give you your warrior name. From this moment on you shall be known as Rainstorm. StarClan honors your initiative and patience." Adderstar rested his head on the grey tabby's head, the new warrior licking Adderstar's shoulder in response before stepping back.

"Silentpaw," Adderstar called to the shy cat, "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Silentpaw gave a timid nod and a barely heard, "I do."

"By the powers of StarClan I am proud to give you your warrior name. Silentpaw, from now on you will be called Silentbreeze. StarClan honors your wisdom and honesty," the old leader set his head on Silentbreeze's own and the brown and white warrior gave a respective shoulder lick to Adderstar before stepping back to stand next to Rainstorm.

"Last but certainly never least, Cloudpaw," Adderstar said warmly, "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Yes! I do!" Cloudpaw answered almost breathlessly, quivering with anticipation.

"And so with the StarClan I give to you your warrior name; you are to be called Cloudstep from this moment on. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and determination," Adderstar then rested his muzzle on the fluffy white head of Cloudstep and the newly named warrior licked Adderstar's shoulder and went to stand next to his brothers. "We welcome these new warriors into StoneClan!" Adderstar called out to the clan

"Rainstorm! Silentbreeze! Cloudstep!" The clan chanted to the skies above, not fazed when drops of rain began to fall.

"Tonight when the moon rises you are to sit silent vigil until dawn tomorrow. You are to sit neatly and not move unless there is trouble," Adderstar turned to address the new warriors. All three nodded and dipped their heads as Adderstar hopped off the Great Boulder and disappeared into his den. As the warriors bounded down from the boulder themselves, Grayclaw returned with his patrol.

"Hey Rainpaw, do you want to go watch the apprentices train? Heron caught a hare in a unique way that we've never seen at Honeypaw was curious so Jeanne is teaching her and Sharppaw how to do it. Some of the warriors are going to watch too," Amberheart trotted over to him.

Rainstorm nodded and gently bumped his head into Amberheart's, "It's Rainstorm now. And yes I'd like to go watch."

"No fair," Amberheart pouted with playfulness in his voice, "I wanted to be the first to call your name to StarClan."

The peaceful moment, however, was short lived as Honeypaw burst into camp, trembling violently and unable to even stand on her own four paws. Cats began to gather curiously as she tried to stammer out the news that SunClan was attacking. Shocked murmurs rippled through the clan. Cloudstep and Silentbreeze turned to sharply look at Rainstorm. The grey tabby had an emotionless face and spoke in a stoic tone, "Icewhisker may not be as insane as he pretends to be."

* * *

AN:/ My apologies for a mental/psycho Scandinavia.

Sharpkit/Sharppaw - Sealand  
Leafkit/Leafpaw - Latvia  
Honeykit/Honeypaw - Liechtenstein  
Blackkit - Random OC  
Cloverkit - Random OC  
Ashkit - Random OC  
Ivykit - Random OC  
Amberkit/Amberpaw/Amberheart - Mexico  
Cloudkit/Cloudpaw/Cloudstep - United States  
Silentkit/Silentpaw/Silentbreeze - Canada  
Rainkit/Rainpaw/Rainstorm - Confederate States


	9. Chapter 9

Adderstar emerged from his den as soon as he was made aware of the situation and back up on the Great Boulder. Sparrowstripe's kits were quickly ushered into the nursery, the queen pushing them to the back of the nursery and protectively wrapping herself around them and soothing the young ones. Hollyberry, Owlflight, and Goldenfire went to join the queen and kits in the nursery with promises to help defend the kits. Icewhisker hustled off to prepare herbs in his den and Adderstar arranged patrols.

"I want Winterstorm to lead a patrol with Foxpelt, Russetpath, Larkfeather, and Mountainblaze to relieve Birdsong's patrol. Silverheart will take Robinwing, Jeanne, Rabbitleap, and Darksky as a second wave. The rest of us will stay behind and guard camp," Adderstar ordered, "Now hurry and go! I want those fleabags off our territory with a lesson learned!" The cats quickly scrambled into a patrol and raced out of camp towards the SunClan border.

After they were gone, the only cats in camp were Adderstar, Amberheart, Cloudstep, Silentbreeze, Rainstorm, the elders, the apprentices, Sparrowstripe and her kits, and Icewhisker. The camp was eerily silent as the warriors crouched in the shadows, waiting for their potential enemies. Cats of a different distinct scent burst into the camp, hissing and growling, claws scraping against the stone floor of the camp. At their head was Thornstar, her black and white fur spiked, a cruel sneer on her face and unforgiving claws clicking against the stone. Behind her were six other cats. Thornstar gave a harsh snarl, "Find their medicine den and destroy their herbs. Take the kits and kill their mother."

Her patrol split up and Adderstar exploded from the shadows, bowling over the SunClan leader and attacking her viciously with his powerful jaws. The other StoneClan cats gave screeches as they burst from the shadows, attacking the intruding cats. Silentbreeze landed on a spikey furred white tom with brown spots. Cloudpaw leaped forward, crashing into a pale brown tom with white markings and raking his claws over the tom's flank. "Get off Mousestep," a dark grey tom growled in a monotone voice, pouncing on Cloudstep and crushing the new warrior with sheer weight. The tom called Mousestep got up and raced for the nursery upon hearing kits mewling in fright. Cloudstep growled and struggled under the massive grey tom to try to stop Mousestep, but to no avail. A wave of relief washed over him as Rainstorm knocked the pale cat aside and began mercilessly battering the tom.

"Sharpsight," Mousestep wailed to the tom above Cloudstep. The grey cat ignored him in favor of ripping at Cloudstep's neck, obviously in attempt to kill the black and white warrior. Though Cloudstep's fluffy black mane made the task extremely difficult and Sharpsight continued to only get mouthfuls of fur. Cloudstep sank his claws into Sharpsight's stomach and lashed at it continuously until the stronger tom finally growled and retreated, fleeing the camp with Mousestep. Soon enough, Adderstar and Thornstar were the only two still fighting, and Adderstar was losing. She bore her fangs into his airway and threw him aside like he was prey, her venomous gaze turning to look at the other cats in triumph as their leader lay motionless and breathless behind her.

At once the StoneClan cats yowled fiercely, surging forward warriors and apprentices and elders alike. Thornstar just gave a crazed, fearless yowl of her own and stood ready to fight, despite being alone. Goldenfire was the first to reach the blood lusting cat but was easily knocked aside with a single powerful swipe of Thornstar's blow. Hollyberry ran to her friend's side in extreme worry while Owlflight hailed down on Thornstar with his own powerful blows. The former deputy was quickly disabled with a long slice from his neck down his spine and the old cat lay still on the ground. Leafpaw was frightened off by a delirious look from Thornstar, as was Sharppaw.

Silentbreeze and Rainstorm tackled Thornstar at the same time, throwing her off balance as they worked together in coordination to the other's moves. The cats who had fled earlier returned, and they had reinforcements. The SunClan cats ripped the StoneClan cats off their leader and the camp was soon full of fighting cats again. Cloudstep was aware of Sharpsight slamming his head into the stone floor a little too late and the black and white tom lay there in a daze, only dimly aware of Sharpsight crushing him. His head spinning, he didn't notice when the weight was gone and Rainstorm was yelling at him. Though his brother was only a few mouse lengths in front of him, he sounded so far away.

"Get up!" Rainstorm was hissing frantically, "Don't close your eyes! Get up!" The small grey tabby grabbed Cloudstep's scruff and tried to tug the hefty warrior upright. As soon as he let go, however, Cloudstep collapsed back to the ground. "You must get up, Cloudstep! Our clan needs us!"

It took a while for a confused and trembling Cloudstep to sit up by himself but he was able to soon enough. He swung his head around a little too fast and the camp was spinning again. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for a while until he could open them and get a grasp of what was going on. Through blurred vision he could make out the figures of retreating SunClan cats. The scent of his clanmates around him made him aware the others had returned and had driven the others away. Voices around him echoed to the point it made his head throb and laid down again, drawing his paws over his ears and closing his eyes.

It was not long before moonhigh that the cats of StoneClan heard their leader's now frail voice sweep out over the deathly silent camp, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey," a bought of coughing from Adderstar before he croaked out the rest, "Gather here under the Great Boulder for a clan meeting."

Injured cats slowly limped out from their dens or hauled themselves off the ground. At the base of the Great Boulder lay several dead cats. "We have defended our territory," Adderstar called out, "But it was not without a terrible toll. Tonight we send the spirits of too many warriors to StarClan, and hope that they continue to watch over us from above. StarClan, please accept these warriors into your grounds of peace…"

Hollyberry, Goldenfire, and Owlflight crept forwards a bit, laying herbs and small flowers near the bodies of the deceased warriors. Adderstar's voice was filled with grief as he continued on, descending slowly from his spot above the clan down to the fallen cats. He pressed his nose to a brown tabby's soft, cleaned fur, "Larkfeather… You were a young, brave cat with the heart and spirit worthy of a true warrior. You died protecting your clanmates, and for that I believe you have earned your place in StarClan." Adderstar shifted to crouch beside the next cat, "Icewhisker, one of my oldest friends. Your time for StarClan was near, but you have left us too soon. Though you died defending new lives and saved countless cats in your lifetime, we walk alone without a medicine cat. May your paws carry you wherever the wind blows..."

"Winterstorm you had only just become a deputy. Your strength and ambition to succeed would have been sure to benefit many had you been the next leader. And I say these words before your spirit, so it may hear and approve of my choice. Grayclaw," Adderstar tore his saddened gaze away, looking over to the deceased deputy's brother, "You share Winterstorm's dream to help StoneClan thrive and you think things through clearly. I'm sure Winterstorm would be proud to have you as his successor. To those cats in no way tied to these, I bid you a good night." Many cats limped away into their dens. Adderstar, Grayclaw, Rabbitleap, Mountainblaze, Sparrowstripe, and Birdsong remained at their fallen clanmates' sides, sitting silent vigil with them until the sun would rise.

The next morning was grim and silent as elders returned from the burial process. Even the birds didn't dare stir and sing their morning songs. The fresh kill pile remained mostly untouched, few cats having an appetite to eat. For once Sharppaw knew to hold his tongue. Grayclaw was pushing aside the demand for patrols in favor of still grieving his lost brother. Rabbitleap, who was usually so cheerful and energetic, looked like he was carrying the weight of all the clans on his shoulders and was a picture of misery. Cloudstep, Silentbreeze, and Rainstorm lay in a lazy circle of sorts; Cloudstep rolling a pebble back and forth under his paw, Silentbreeze lost in thought, and Rainstorm giving the ground a cold glare.

When Adderstar began to drag himself across the camp, everyone watched him go over to Rainstorm. And although the leader spoke in a near whisper, it was as if he were yelling the camp was so silent. "Rainstorm… StarClan came to me in a dream last night. And Icewhisker has approved their decision though he does not reside there. StarClan has chosen you to be the next StoneClan medicine cat."

At first Rainstorm stared into the leader's eyes, silently asking if it was a joke. When amber eyes didn't reveal anything and the clan observed the scene, Rainstorm spoke, "But why me?"

"I can never be sure. You are to travel to the Moon Crystal every half a moon now with the other medicine cats. The code of the medicine cats differs from that of the Warrior Code. You are not allowed to have a mate or kits. Your life cannot be held back by either; you must focus solely on the health and wellbeing of the whole clan. The medicine cat code allows you to cross borders without the usual restrictions of a warrior. StarClan has promised me they will protect and guide you as you travel to learn the ways of the medicine cat from Craneflight, the medicine cat of CloudClan." Adderstar dipped his head to the young cat.

Rainstorm sat up appalled, a few other cats looking quite upset with the news. Adderstar ignored the shocked and confused look on Rainstorm's face, "I can send an escort with you as far as the CloudClan and StoneClan border. Take whoever you want and say your goodbyes. Do not return until Craneflight says you are ready to become a full medicine cat."

Without a word, Rainstorm flicked his tail to his brothers and Amberheart, leaving and not looking back at his clanmates. The trip to the border was uncomfortable and Rainstorm drooping his head and tail, ears against his head. Upon arrival at the border, the group stopped. Silentbreeze was the first to break the silence and pressed his head into Rainstorm's shoulder, "Please…please promise me you'll come back…!"

Rainstorm didn't reply, only giving a reassuring lick to his brother's head. Cloudstep had to nudge Silentbreeze out of the way. He exchanged a long hard look with Rainstorm before leaning into him and giving sad noises, "You have to come back, okay? The whole clan is counting on you and they need you. _We_ need you," Cloudstep swept his tail to the group. The white cat with a black mane and tail stepped back to stand beside a miserable looking Silentbreeze.

"You know…when I became a warrior and I imagined my life moons from them I didn't imagine you being the medicine cat," Amberheart purred, though it was a forced purr and his amber eyes were dull. "So…so you better hurry up and become the best medicine cat the clans have ever seen! We won't make it through the next leafbare without a cat who knows what he's doing." The tom's voice cracked and he looked away.

Rainstorm hesitantly stepped over to him, "Amberheart…" He craned his neck to touch noses with the tom.

Amberheart jerked away, "I hope StarClan is happy with their decision." He turned and began walking back to camp without another word.

The grey tabby's ears and tail dropped as he watched his friend go. "I guess I'll see you around…" Rainstorm muttered and pushed past his brothers, heading into CloudClan territory. At the top of the slope he paused and looked back at his littermates before bounding away, out of sight.

When Silentbreeze and Cloudstep returned to camp, Sparrowstripe's kits scurried over joyfully but stopped in their tracks falling silent when they didn't see their friend. Blackkit shoved her way to the front of her littermates. "Where's Rainstorm?" She demanded.

The two warriors exchanged looks before Silentbreeze lowered his head to the kit's level and spoke softly, "Rainstorm went on an adventure to learn more about clan life but he'll be back soon."

"Well I hope he's back before I'm an apprentice! I want him to be my mentor!" Ashkit spoke up.

"No I want him to be my mentor!" Blackkit turned and tackled her sister.

As the two kits tussled around on the stone, Cloudstep could only give them a saddened look. Not far off, Spottedfur and Birdsong were sharing prey. The black cat with a white face and tail tip snorted, "At least Sparrowstripe's kits can grow up easy knowing their parents were both StoneClan."

Spottedfur rolled his eyes, "Most of the younger cats don't even know they're half clan or part kittypet." The cream warrior stretched and pushed the bird they were sharing to Birdsong. "If you ask me, I think StoneClan can be expecting more kits soon; but they sure won't be pure StoneClan."

"What? Who?" Birdsong looked around the camp.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed Jeanne and Silverheart acting too friendly to be friends to each other. I think Robinwing is jealous," Spottedfur angled his ears to the ginger and white warrior, who was watching Silverheart.

Birdsong huffed, "Robinwing has changed. He's not the bright young cat he used to be. He's darker; more ambitious and cold. I watched him take down three cats in a row during the battle. One of them died instantly, another had a slow agonizing death as he bled out. The third, I suppose, was lucky. He's got an air of persuasion about him and he convinces the younger cats to follow him. He's building a mountain, and he's placing himself on top of it."

Spottedfur didn't look convinced, "Warriors do that. You're becoming soft, Birdsong. You keep sneaking off to the twolegs in their colorful dens and being around them and getting friendly with their kittypets."

"You're blind," Birdsong abruptly stood up, "Robinwing is planning something, something that's going to rip this clan apart. And it isn't from jealousy. No," Birdsong shook his head, "He wants power. And he knows Adderstar only has two lives left."

* * *

**AN:/** AHHHHHH SORRY FOR NO UPDATE IN A MONTH *screeches and beats myself with a pillow*

So I'm thinking about possibly animating this when I finish writing it all. Of course I'll need voice actors and actresses but if you'd be interested in helping out or even watching then please voice your interest, okay? :3

Things are going to get interesting next chapter so sit tight!

Love, Alex


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